How one Australian artist who was told she’d never succeed is proving the critics wrong

Share this:

From a young age, most of us are encouraged to chase our dreams. However, this wasn’t the case for artist Megan Adams, who was discouraged time and time again and told that it was impossible to have a career in art. Determined to follow her passion, Megan overcame many roadblocks to enter The Archibald Prize this year with her portrait of Australian Professional Rugby League Football Coach, Wayne Bennett.

“When I worked in administration and event planning for the Newcastle Knights and Newcastle Jets, I met Wayne Bennett and developed a great relationship with him. I feel honoured that Wayne allowed me to paint him,” says Megan. “From this experience, I can honestly say that anything is possible if you have the drive and determination – you just never know what might happen.”

Throughout her life, Megan drew and painted constantly, excelling in Visual Arts at school. It was only at the end of high school that her teachers, principal and family told her that it would be impossible to make a career out of being an artist. As a result of the lack of encouragement, Megan suffered from depression at the age of 18 and did not pick up a paintbrush for six years.

When her fiancé saw her artworks and suggested to her to start painting again, it took another two years before she bit the bullet and began night art classes. The fear of her work being rejected was something that took a long time for Megan to overcome, even to the point that placing paint on the canvas was nerve-racking. She eventually decided that the worst that could happen would be throwing out the painting and trying something different.

Megan received her first commission request from Michael Bridges (previous Leeds United English Footballer, now Australian Sports Presenter) to paint his wife. This has since resulted in further commissions from CEOs and hotels, creating a burning desire in Megan to continue painting.

Using high quality materials and the right equipment can make all the difference in a painting, but this can also be expensive. All of Megan’s money goes towards canvas, paints, mediums and more. To support her painting, Megan has a day job.

Working as a Personal Assistant in Darwin can sometimes mean that Megan works 10 hour days. However, the long hours do not stop her from following her passion. After work, she paints until the early hours of the morning. When Megan’s not painting, she’s updating her website, meeting people regarding commissions, varnishing, researching new techniques, organising couriers and more. Every spare moment of her time is dedicated to her art.

Megan’s portrait of Wayne Bennett was sold for $2,000 and all proceeds from the sale were donated to Alex McKinnon’s foundation – RiseForAlex Fund. Following the 2014 rugby tackle that resulted in McKinnon becoming a quadriplegic, he is faced with over $100,000 a year in expenses to treat his injuries.

By the end of the year, Megan hopes to have 20 paintings completed and expand into galleries on an international scale including China and Singapore.